[AL78]

♠A8
♥AQJ3
♦3
♣AK9532

MPs, no-one vuln. RHO is dealer and opens a weak 2♥. Your bid?

[P_Marlowe]

 AL78, on 2022-December-21, 05:12, said:

♠A8
♥AQJ3
♦3
♣AK9532

MPs, no-one vuln. RHO is dealer and opens a weak 2♥. Your bid?

X?

In my opinion the problem with 3NT, clubs dont run.
If p pulls out lebensohl 2NT, I will bid 3C and over
3D from p you can think about 3NT.

[eagles123]

3♣ for me.

[Cyberyeti]

Tough hand, Kxxx, x, xxxx, Qxxx may well make 6♣ but not 3N.

[DavidKok]

A textbook 3NT - good stoppers and a long minor suit. Big balanced hands start with double. Our clubs are a bit shaky and we have some extra's, but the title applies. With Cyberyeti's hand partner will pull.

[Cyberyeti]

 DavidKok, on 2022-December-21, 07:53, said:

A textbook 3NT - good stoppers and a long minor suit. Big balanced hands start with double. Our clubs are a bit shaky and we have some extra's, but the title applies. With Cyberyeti's hand partner will pull.

Not all balanced hands start with a double by any means. 2N, X then 2N, 3N as the first 3 ranges for balanced is not uncommon.

Also you deserve to pull 3N and find partner had Axx, KQJ, AKxxxx, K or similar, not great at MPs with 3N definitely making if diamonds are 2-1 and making 430 a lot of the time.

[LBengtsson]

In terms of distributional strength it is coming close to 23-24 total points assuming the ♥ finesse is right, and we are control rich. eagles123 suggests 3♣ here, and while it is the safe bid, I cannot see partner being able to make a move beyond 3♣ with the assumed 6-7 HCPs that you can place him with.

The only problem with 3NT is that it suggests to the defensers that a ♥ lead is not productive, so they may find your weak suit ♦s from the off. But I have to agree with DavidKok that 3NT on the balance of things looks the best choice.

[ali quarg]

I'm with David on this one 16+hcp points and a sort of long running minor. AQ♥ & A♠ give you additional entries so you ought to make at least 5♣ tricks.

If 3NT is an option bid it.

[apollo1201]

X risks partner bidding and rebidding S, which is not what I’m particularly after.

Passing hoping partner Xes is probably asking too much, even in Xmas time like now.

3C is the best way to ensure to go plus, but that would often let the bidding die here when we can have game in a reasonable number of cases. So we might be the lowest score on the travel sheet.

Most will bid 3 NT anyway (usually a long minor and not too balanced shape, unsuitable for X then bid below the golden contract). X followed by 3NT would be sth more balanced, 20+, I think.

So I’m not really liking it much but sign me in for 3NT.

[AL78]

Thanks for the responses. I thought of doubling and decided against it as I don't want to deal with a 4♠ bid from partner, so I decided to bid what I thought would have a decent chance with an assumed 6-7 HCP opposite, 3NT.

On a heart lead partner put down:

♠KQJ62
♥9
♦JT42
♣JT6

I made all 13 tricks when the clubs break 2-2. The diamond ace is onside so 12 tricks are cold in clubs or NT. After the weak two I think the chances of dropping the queen are less than 50% so it is not a great slam although one pair found the club slam. One was in 5♣, three were in 4♠ (one going down) and one pair didn't get past 3♣. That was worth 15/18 MPs. There is a fair randomness element in a field of mixed standard even with 10 tables.

You don't make 6♠ because the spades break 5-1.

[helene_t]

I agree with David that 3NT is best, but it isn't a Hamman's Law thing. Hamman's Law applies when it may be the last chance to bid 3nt. Here, we could have doubled en route to 3nt, but direct 3nt describes the hand better.

[akwoo]

I initially thought double but then realized that I have no good bid over partner's expected Lebensohl 2N - I can't bid 3C because I don't want to be passed there.

So 3N it is.

[Douglas43]

 AL78, on 2022-December-21, 11:15, said:

Thanks for the responses. I thought of doubling and decided against it as I don't want to deal with a 4♠ bid from partner, so I decided to bid what I thought would have a decent chance with an assumed 6-7 HCP opposite, 3NT.

On a heart lead partner put down:

♠KQJ62
♥9
♦JT42
♣JT6

I made all 13 tricks when the clubs break 2-2. The diamond ace is onside so 12 tricks are cold in clubs or NT. After the weak two I think the chances of dropping the queen are less than 50% so it is not a great slam although one pair found the club slam. One was in 5♣, three were in 4♠ (one going down) and one pair didn't get past 3♣. That was worth 15/18 MPs. There is a fair randomness element in a field of mixed standard even with 10 tables.

You don't make 6♠ because the spades break 5-1.

I agree with you about 6♣ being poor because of vacant spaces outside hearts - West has 11 and east only 7. 6NT is not an option though.

[pescetom]

 Douglas43, on 2022-December-22, 03:56, said:

I agree with you about 6♣ being poor because of vacant spaces outside hearts - West has 11 and east only 7. 6NT is not an option though.

Don't the vacant spaces argue for a relatively safe ♣Q finesse?
It's the diamonds that puzzle me about 6NT, unless "ace onside" means stiff in RHO.

[AL78]

 pescetom, on 2022-December-22, 09:52, said:

Don't the vacant spaces argue for a relatively safe ♣Q finesse?
It's the diamonds that puzzle me about 6NT, unless "ace onside" means stiff in RHO.

The vacant spaces argument says LHO is more likely to have Qxx(x) over my club suit so the club suit is more likely than normal to have a loser.

The ace is with LHO under the king, so on a low diamond lead putting up the king works.

[pescetom]

 AL78, on 2022-December-22, 10:39, said:

The vacant spaces argument says LHO is more likely to have Qxx(x) over my club suit so the club suit is more likely than normal to have a loser.

Sorry, yes of course. The hand I was looking at is partner's.

 AL78, on 2022-December-22, 10:39, said:

The ace is with LHO under the king, so on a low diamond lead putting up the king works.

I read:

 AL78, on 2022-December-21, 11:15, said:

partner put down:
....
♦JT42

[AL78]

 pescetom, on 2022-December-22, 10:50, said:

Sorry, yes of course. The hand I was looking at is partner's.



I read:

Damn I put partner's hand down incorrectly, she held ♦KT42 not ♦JT42. Sorry for the confusion, there are certain times of the day I should refrain from posting hands on here.

[barmar]

 akwoo, on 2022-December-21, 14:02, said:

I initially thought double but then realized that I have no good bid over partner's expected Lebensohl 2N - I can't bid 3C because I don't want to be passed there.

What's the chance that partner's suit is clubs? If they bid Lebensohl, it's practically guaranteed that they're bidding 3♦ over 3♣.

And with such a big hand, you're allowed to break the relay. You can bid 3NT instead of 3♣. The reason to double is to keep spades in the picture.